Ottawa’s local economy reaped the benefits of hosting the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, from restaurants and hotels to Indigenous businesses, according to Ottawa Tourism.
Catherine Callary, vice-president of destination development at Ottawa Tourism, said the World Juniors was a “chance for Ottawa to shine on an international stage” that saw visitors from every competing country, as well as some others.
“We had visitors from all around the world that were coming and and chatting with us about things to do in Ottawa while they were here,” Callary told Ottawa Compass. “They were taking in a game, but also, they wanted to go out to eat, they wanted to visit our museums and to see our sights.
“So it was just a really vibrant time in town and in the city, and we made the most of it.”
The economic impact is still under assessment by Hockey Canada, but Callary said Ottawa Tourism’s benchmark was from the last time Canada hosted the championships. That was in 2023 in Moncton, N.B. and Halifax, N.S., and reportedly brought in $50 million. Callary said Ottawa is expecting the same.
There was also higher-than-usual demand for hotels and accommodation, which she said is a good sign, but does not take into account visitors who stay with family or friends in Ottawa.
The championships also had a large social impact, she explained, through Ottawa Tourism’s food recovery program. This program launched in 2024 and helps venues that host large events help build relationships with local community organizations and supports them in donating surplus food from events. During the championships, the program helped to donate 20,000 meals to people in need in Ottawa, Callary said.
“That is a really spectacular outcome of an event, and it shows the power of major events to do measurable quality-of-life improvements in cities,” she said.
They also partnered with Hockey Canada to prioritize accessibility at events and to shed a spotlight on Indigenous partners and communities.
“One of our real social impacts was going beyond the land acknowledgement,” she explained. “Not only was (Hockey Canada) ensuring that attendees to the games knew that they were on Anishinaabe territory, but also they hired Indigenous artisans who created beadwork on a number of different pieces, like the pouches that the volunteers were given, and a whole bunch of other pieces of merchandise of Hockey Canada, including ‘player of the game’ paddles at the end of the game.
“So these pieces are now out there in the world, and telling the story of Algonquin Territories here in Canada,” Callary continued. “I think that was a really incredible outcome of these things as well.”
The championships had a larger-scale impact than other events in Ottawa, Callary said, with income that could be on par with the Grey Cup, which was held in Ottawa in 2017. But it will be hard to tell until Hockey Canada’s assessment is completed.
“It’s still too fresh to know the numbers,” said Callary. “But these visitors, they are eating in our restaurants, using public transportation, going to attractions and shows and spending their visitor dollars.
“In a typical year, Ottawa sees about 10 million visitors, and they spend $2.6 billion at our destination. So visitor spending is a significant economic driver for Ottawa, and it’s no doubt, after we get the assessment for the World Juniors here in Ottawa, we’re going to see just the impact of these games from the perspective of the attendees,” she continued. “But many of these attendees are from out of town, and they’re bringing their visitor dollars to our city.”
Lots of community activities and businesses came together to amplify the experience for visitors, Callary shared. For example, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) and ByWard Market Christmas Markets were extended to allow visitors to enjoy the festivities, and Ottawa Tourism partnered with Escape Manor to create a hockey-themed “urban scavenger hunt” that challenged visitors to explore the city and its activities.
“These little stories come out from visitor-servicing of people who had marvelous times here in the city who are hockey fans but had lots of other things that they were doing while they were here,” she said. “So it leaves these great little stories and anecdotes and legacies behind. It was a time for Ottawa to shine, and Ottawa really did shine.”
